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OK! It's been over a month since I posted anything in this journal, but I am trying. The day after the party (last entry) I slept until about 3:00 and woke up without a hangover. I was energetic the rest of the day, which helped because that week ended up being a cram week at school, and I got a lot of studying in. In addition, I took a trip to Houston about 2 weeks ago for Texas 2K5, the Toyota Supra Nationals. No, I don't own a Supra, but I have friends who do. It was fun, and I came back just as crispy as the Colonel's fried chicken :-D. The week after that, this past week in fact, just happened to be another cram week... so i'm running on empty again. Here I am, however. I decided that since I have no where else to review the stuff I watch, I might as well do it here! Anyways, prepare for mass amounts of information on everything you never wanted to know about anime!
First of all, I'll start off fresh... the anime I watched tonight, I'd like to say I finished. Unfortunately, this week marked the release of the 24th episode, and it's not yet done. In relation and hype for this piece of artistic candy, I wll not mention the name 'till later. Anyways, this series was, and still is, very special for me. I'm of the persuasion that it's alright to cry if something is sad. In fact, I also believe, personally, that a true man should be able to cry... if he isn't he might as well not have the emotional capacity. What I have seen of this show has made me cry 3 times, it pulls the emotions out of me so well. Full Metal Alchemist and Chobits (two of my very favorite for emotional content) could only make me feel sad or sorry enough for the characters to cry once, while this series has succeeded in drawing the emotion out of me forcefully 3 times. The name of it is My-HiME... An anagram comprised of english words, to make up the japanese honorific for princess (ex Mononoke-Hime means Princess Mononoke). The HiMEs go about their daily lives, dealing with their powers, and must eventually combat enemies and even themselves. The key thing about it is that when the HiME is defeated, the "Person most dear to them" dies on the spot. The main character loses her sickly little brother, and her boyfriend-to-be through these defeats, but she never lost. Everytime her loved one disappeared, I cried. Now, thanks to episode 24, I will always cry when I hear the ending theme, because the lyrics make a fuckload more sense when you know how it ends up. Anyways, due the the excelence of the plot, and the ability to draw out my emoions, this series gets my highest award, and a spot in my all time favorites.
Next comes something I saw about a week ago. It is comprised of 12 episodes, 1 OAV, and 1 episode Sequel (which happens to be hentai) called Green Green. Essentially, there is this school secluded in the mountains. It is an all-boys school... but it won't be for much longer. Think integration of the 1960's, only MARGINALLY less violent (watch for the hammer!!!), freshman-age girls instead of African Americans, and more funny. In other words, girls come to the school as part of a merging effort and stay for a month. In this time, there is much debauchery from the many inhabitants... but one of the girls has a secret, she somehow knows one of the boys from her past, and loves him. Much of the anime is about them trying to get along while he keeps getting into misunderstood spots and scrapes with his crass friends... much like any other "Harem" series. This one, however, ends on a sad note, and is worth mentioning that it also made me cry... a little bit. The OAV was basically a precursor, where the boys were instead visiting the girl's school... and hijinks ensued. It's only one episode, and is much cleaner (although still quite close to hentai IMO) than the series. Also, even though I don't normally watch hentai, this series was left incomplete... and the hentai sequel (actually an unaired 13th episode for obvious reasons) brings closure to the series. It should be a special exception... with all anime, you can see boobs and nipples... however most everything else is censored so the worst thing in the episode is either the breasts or the moaning, whichever way you look at it. Overall, I did enjoy the series. It could have been longer though. It is a perverted romantic comedy, and it succeeds at what it is meant to do.
Again with the reviews right? Well, I gotta make my opinion known :-P. I suppose I can review something else now. The last two were dramatic romance an comedic romance, respectively. Now to take another direction, and go with a straight action / drama. You might, by now, have heard of a series named Gunslinger Girl. It's a bunch of girls that the government of Italy found dying, and decided to experiment on. They gave them robotic appendages, and erased much of their original memory as a side effect. The girls are then given to older people (most often men) for training in the arts of assassination. The girls are taught to love their masters (whom they all end up being summarily obsessed with) and to protect them no matter what. The story is centered around one specific girl, and her master, who is different than the others. He treats her with dignity and respect. He is kind and acts like a brother. The others mostly treat their girls like tools, sharpening their skills with weapons even if they suck at social matters. The series on the whole is fair. The story is inspired, but moves slowly and can make you want to sleep at certain points. The animation and soundtrack is top notch, however, so if the sweet stuff is your thing, enjoy. The story itself, as i mentioned earlier, moves slowly. For me it got interesting about episode 10... and it's only 13 episodes long. It goes without saying that the series ends abruptly, and could have been drawn out longer. There are still things that need answering, as there wasn't a real feeling of closure like a person would expect.
Next up, old gone new! If you know anything of anime, you probably know of "Ah! Megami-Sama"... translated as AH! My Goddess. It was a 5 episode OAV made in the late 90's, and a side story to the manga of the exact same name. It was excellent, especially for a 5 episode long series. This series has been ressurected recently, as a full-length anime series fit for TV. The new series follows what happens in the manga, pretty much to a 'T'. The basis of the story is a 19 year old boy living with his sempais (teachers or elders) in their motor club HQ. He is pitiful in view, but has a pure soul, and a kind disposition. He calls someone, and gets something called the "Goddess Hotline". At that moment, something appears from the mirror, and says it will grant him any wish he chosses. His wish: that a girl like her will stay with him for the rest of his life. From this moment on, the goddess Belldandy is bound to Mr. Morisato Keiichi. The rest of the series (11 episodes at this point, and recently liscenced in America) is right with the manga, putting Keiichi and Belldandy through the gauntlet muh like any other romantic comedy. However, the voice actors are superb at conveying a broad range of emotions, separating this anime from all the others like it. In addition, the original AMG had amazing animation, especially for something of it's time. The trend is not broken. The TV series has some of the most excellent animation you will find today. The music is so-so, but it's mostly folk-type music, so I can't rate it. To me, this anime is engaging, funny, and heartfelt. I have not yet sen it all, but it is already in my all time favorites list in OAV form, so why not add the TV series too? Hell, I can already tell it's going to end awesomely.
That's all for now... I typed a lot of shiz, and will probably wake up tomorrow with carpal tunnel :-P. Anyways, I plan on finishing some more reviews tomorrow, as well as having another series done with. Until next time (not necesarilly tomorrow), remember one thing - Anime can teach you many things. Learn from the main character's mistakes... NEVER, EVER touch the woman's chest unless you're in bed... you will get the hammer X-D
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